Forget the RAM crisis — storage prices are spiralling, and processors could be next, as gaming PC maker warns 'CPU shortage is getting more serious' | Tech Radar

Overview

Forget the RAM crisis — storage prices are spiralling, and processors could be next, as gaming PC maker warns 'CPU shortage is getting more serious'

This is all we need — CPUs could be like 'the memory chip situation' with price hikes

Details

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Rumor has it that Intel and AMD are increasing CPU prices due to a supply shortage, and this could end up as serious as the situation with RAM

Storage prices are also heading up sharply, and device makers are having to rethink plans — with a handheld even getting canned this week due to pricing difficulties

If you've not heard enough about supply woes and price hikes for various PC components, here's another bit of bad news: CPUs are now apparently in the firing line.

PC Gamer flagged a report from Nikkei Asia, which observes that the market for processors is suffering "an average price hike of between 10% to 15%", which has hit both server and PC CPUs. This information has been provided by multiple sources, we're told, all singing the same unwelcome tune.

Nikkei Asia also claims that according to these sources: "Intel and AMD have recently told clients they will increase prices for all series of CPUs from March and April, respectively."

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The lead time taken to ship processors that have been ordered is increasing, too, and by a large margin. Wait times have increased from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, or indeed more.

One of the sources is an executive at a gaming PC manufacturer who says that the supply of CPUs is expected to become thinner on the ground in the second quarter of 2026. That exec said: "Intel and AMD have prioritized capacity for server CPUs, and the supply for PCs has become less ... What PC players can get in Q2 is much less than the volume we got in Q1."

They added, "What we worry about is that even if we pay more, we still cannot get more. The CPU shortage is getting more serious day by day, no less than the memory chip situation."

Analysis: AI crushes the hopes of consumers once again

If you wanted a worrying statement about the situation with CPUs, I don't think you could get a more ominous utterance than the last sentence above. If we're going to start thinking about comparing processor supply levels to what's happened with memory chips, then that's the start of a very dark path that CPUs could be about to head down. Indeed, seemingly this is already happening, and the article is citing multiple sources to this effect.

As you might guess, this is all about the AI boom. It's driving a huge need for computing power, and that isn't just about memory and storage for servers, but also processors. Meaning the drive for profits is leading to CPU makers prioritizing data center sales over consumers, just as with memory, because these are business decisions after all, and you go where you can make the most money.

Unfortunately, the storage crisis is getting worse, too. This week, we've had news of the price of a 1TB external SSD from San Disk tripling on the Apple store (via Gizmodo). And a high-end handheld has been effectively cancelled, with Ayaneo shutting down pre-orders of its Next 2 portable gaming device, as Kotaku reports. Thanks to the spiralling costs of storage and RAM, the Next 2 would've ended up costing some $4,000, which clearly isn't tenable. (Maybe the top-end Strix Halo Ryzen CPU was a factor here, too).

Meanwhile, Asus has just treated us to a forecast of 25% to 30% price rises for its PCs in Taiwan over the next quarter, and that reality will surely be reflected globally to a large extent.

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It's a bleak picture that appears to be worsening. And it's also very odd that Intel has just revealed a couple of very wallet-friendly consumer CPUs with its refresh of Arrow Lake. How those low prices will work in this climate remains to be seen, although of course, so do the stock levels of said processors – they may only be produced in small quantities.

The advice for those thinking of buying a new CPU for their PC would be to do so now, or in the near future, much as is the case for those mulling a laptop purchase.

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops

1. Best overall: Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros Mac Book Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for Tech Radar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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Key Takeaways

• Forget the RAM crisis — storage prices are spiralling, and processors could be next, as gaming PC maker warns 'CPU shortage is getting more serious'

• This is all we need — CPUs could be like 'the memory chip situation' with price hikes

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• Rumor has it that Intel and AMD are increasing CPU prices due to a supply shortage, and this could end up as serious as the situation with RAM

• Storage prices are also heading up sharply, and device makers are having to rethink plans — with a handheld even getting canned this week due to pricing difficulties